Popular Drugs May Fight Arthritis & Breast Cancer

There's more evidence that the same controversial prescription pain relievers, suspected of raising heart attack risk, may actually help prevent certain cancers.A new study found that women who took the drugs Celebrex or Vioxx every day for two years were up to 71 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.Other anti-inflammatory pain relievers were also found to lower breast cancer risk but the greatest reduction was seen in Celebrex and Vioxx users.And a new study says conventional tests may miss heart disease is as many as three million women.Instead of developing blockages in the main arteries like men do, women tend to experience plaque buildup in smaller blood vessels which are harder to detect.Experts fear that many of these women who come to the doctor complaining of symptoms may be sent away undiagnosed, not realizing that they're at high risk of having a heart attack within the next few years.And another new study finds that cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may help treat rheumatoid arthritis.Researchers found that in lab test, those drugs prompted the death of certain joint cells linked to the condition. Experts say more studies need to be done to confirm these findings in people who actually have arthritis to see if it can help ease their symptoms.